Live For The Swarm
by 101101101
Summary: The greatest marine in the Terran race is killed on Tarsonis during the Zerg attack. However, the Overmind is aware of his skill and determination and chooses him to fight in, and end the war. ....It's not over....
1. Chapter 1

The sky was black, clouds and sunlight clogged with overlords and carriers. Hundreds of feet beneath stood a few dozen men, and a few thousand Zerg. The last outpost on Tarsonis was on the border of a massive colony of flesh and bone. Creep spread rapidly, encasing everything that it came across. The remnants of Terran buildings sat everywhere, now infested or burned to ash. A Zerg army stood awaiting orders from its leader, the gargantuan overmind.

The Terran fleet suddenly gained speed and vanished leaving behind a terrified colony, soon to be exterminated. The calm outpost was soon panicked, turning battle hardened Marines into rodents. Kerrigan herself, the best of the best, had an unusually nervous look on her face.

Ben stood upright, perfectly straight, about to accept his fate. "Jesus man, we're gonna' die" said a marine, the pitch of his voice shaky. "We're not going to die, not before we fight." replied Ben.

Benjamin Kearse was a shadow of a man. A light coating of stubble lined his face and dark blue bags hung under his eyes. He was a beast, almost literally. He fought fearless, pure rage overlapping his thoughts. Ben had killed countless enemies, dozens of Terran, hundreds of Zerg. He had been rumored to rival James Raynor in terms of skill. However, he possessed an animalistic quality that neither Raynor, nor any other human had.

"They're gonna freakin' maul us, rip us apart man" stated the marine. "No, they're not." replied Ben. "We are going to maul and kill them, we are going to rip them apart, WE are going to fucking conquer this battle and conquer the war." said Ben, nearly screaming at the end of the speech. Ben ripped the gauss rifle from the other man's hands. He held it point blank to the terrified marine's head.

"If you want to die, I will kill you right now. If you want to fight, then fight. Not as a scared man, but as an animal. Use your rage, not your fear." said Ben. The now awe-inspired marine took his rifle back and had a new inspiration to fight. Both men turned at the sound that emanated from the horizon.

The sound always erupted in the distance shortly before the attack. It was the overpowering noise of thousands of Zerg, running full speed at the ill-prepared outpost.

Ben flipped the visor on his combat suit down. He gripped the gauss rifle and dug his feet into the ground. The rumble of siege tanks shook the ground and the air was soon filled with Arclite 120 millimeter shells. In the distance spider mines detonated spilling alien blood on the battlefield. The tank shells hung in the air for a moment, before plummeting to the ground and crushing ultralisks. The Zerg were advancing quickly, almost at the gate of the outpost. Gauss rifles fire began, dropping dozens of zerglings and hydralisks. Firebats charged past the marines and scorched the rough terrain. The injured Zerg pressed on however, the will of the overmind forcing them to continue the battle. Men fell to the razor-sharp claws of the vile beasts. Napalm canisters strapped to firebats detonated, instantly incinerating everything near.

A single hydralisk spine landed on Ben's visor. The visor twisted and burned and Ben was forced to fight without it. His rifle shook as each round exited and the hydralisk's head exploded in an eruption of blood and brain matter. Another came from behind the beast's smoldering corpse and shot spines at Ben. He ducked and dodged to the left, narrowly avoiding the acidic projectiles. A canister rifle round flew over his shoulder and took the hydralisk in the chest. It fell back, injured but not beaten. Ben unloaded dozens of rounds into the beast, before it finally succumbed to its damaged organs and collapsed. A zergling took Ben from behind and pushed him to the ground, its claws tearing at the thick armor. Ben hit the dirt face first, but quickly rolled over. Blood and a form of saliva dripped into his exposed face while the beast prepared to sink its claws again. Ben reacted quicker than it did and unleashed a power assisted punch into the face of the animal. The combat suit he wore increased his speed and strength, which made him a decent opponent against the zergling's powerful teeth and claws.

The zergling stumbled from the blow and Ben struck again. The monster's head twisted back as its neck snapped. Its teeth broke clean in two and was now missing a large part of its jaw. Ben kicked the creature off and shot a round into its torso, to insure its death. Ben spun around to see Kerrigan wrestle with a zergling. Unable to insure an accurate shot, Ben ran up to the beast and unleashed a massive kick, breaking the bone that ran up its right claw. It turned towards Ben and he hit it violently with the butt of his gun. It shook off the blow and tore into his armor, piercing his skin. He did not scream, nor even flinch, instead he retaliated with a hefty punch that landed square on the beast's head. Kerrigan kicked the animal backwards and raised her canister rifle. The projectile grenade ripped apart the zergling's flesh and Ben ended its life with a series of well placed shots directly hitting its skull.

Before Kerrigan had a chance to thank the marine, Ben had already engaged two hydralisks that were assaulting a small group of marines and a firebat. One beast lifted its gargantuan claw and plunged it into a marine's torso. His heart was pierced severely and he instantly slid off and dropped. The firebat unloaded a flurry of flames engulfing one hydralisk. Ben and the other marines began to shoot at the other, piercing its thick carapace. The bullets, alas, did not accomplish much as it continued to battle, launching a number of spines at a marine's head. The marine dropped to the ground, not dead, but with a slightly melted face. A marine lifted up his fallen comrade while shooting at the beast. Ben turned his attention to the hydralisk currently on fire. His gauss rifle rumbled as the animal's head was destroyed and its large body fell. The remaining marines were now spread, flanking the second great beast. It turned sharply and whipped its claw into an unsuspecting firebat's helmet. The near-decapitated man was thrown quite a distance before tumbling onto the dirt. Ben was infuriated and leaped onto the beasts tail. He managed to get a grip on the mucus covered extremity and pulled it backwards, un-footing the monster. Bullets tore through its skin from the front and Ben unloaded the remainder of his bullets into the beast's head. It fell.

The command centre exploded sending debris hundreds of meters away. Flames consumed Zerg and Terran warriors, scorching down to the bone. Ben dove behind the remnants of a once active siege tank. In the distance he saw Kerrigan overwhelmed by zerglings and hydralisks. There was no saving her now. Flames shot past Ben's head and killed a group of zerglings.

When the explosion had stopped Ben readied his rifle and checked for survivors. None. He scanned the area to see if there were any injured men. None. There was however, Zerg, in all directions.

And this was when Benjamin Kearse realized that he was going to die. He had fought, and now he had died. The Zerg would kill and consume, as they had done before, hundreds of thousands of times. Feet and claws scurried over his fallen friends, racing to be the first to kill the last survivor. Ben threw down his gauss rifle. He raised his boot and crushed the weapon. He was the bravest man to ever fight. He fought with honor and with pride, conquering and eliminating. But he was only one. One in a sea of thousands. One that would soon be forgotten, soon be sliced and crushed and burned to death by the enemies he so valiantly fought against.

And he knew, that despite all of his accomplishments, and all of his victories, even though he was the last alive, it meant nothing.

Nothing.

It meant nothing to him. Nothing to the other humans who would never know. But, unaware to him, someone did know. Someone did care that he was the last survivor, and the best warrior. Someone needed him to win this intergalactic struggle.

But it wasn't someone, it was something. The greatest general to ever be created. The greatest ruler, the greatest mind. The Overmind.

He died for the Human race. But he would live for the swarm.


	2. Chapter 2

**101101101- Sorry for the wait, I'll try to keep updating as quickly as I can.**

Char. The infested planet swarming with Zerg was house to the magnificent Overmind, the most well conceived being ever created. It had infested many species before it tried to consume the Terrans, but the human mind had evolved too far to be fully integrated into the swarm. Queens could still infest Terrans, but the process was extremely slow and chemical imbalances led the monsters to be unstable.

However, the Overmind had the power to convert a single human into an intelligent Zerg through a chrysalis, a living chamber that could house and evolve life.

Ben awoke inside the chamber of flesh, his skin and bones tingling with the sensation of infestation. He was tired, and his senses had been numbed severely. His mouth refused to open, but his mind was unobstructed. He felt the presence of the entire swarm, specifically the Overmind. He extended his mind to its fullest potential and began to communicate with the beast.

"Where am I?" asked Benjamin. "The chrysalis. The most efficient assimilation technique we possess." replied the Overmind. "Your conversion is almost complete and soon you will be walking among the rest of my creations." it added. "You speak as if you are God. You are but a beast" replied Ben. He was angry more than he was curious. "Why did you spare me?" asked Ben.

"An appropriate question indeed. I have monitored your activity for some time, lurking in the shadows of the minds of my minions. You are possibly the most impressive human I have seen to date. You possess strength and skill, a marksman and a beast. You are more similar to a Zerg, than a human, and that is why I selected you" answered the Overmind. "You will lead my swarm well, with the efficiency of a cerebrate." it added. "I shall lead nothing. You believe that because you control countless Zerg that you can intimidate me into performing your errands?" spit back Ben. "You opinion will change shortly, once you see your true image, what I have molded you into" replied the Overmind. "What have you molded me into?" asked Ben. "Be patient, your completion is not far off" replied the beast. Ben waited for some time before the chamber finally opened.

Benjamin Kearse stepped out the flesh case. His entire body was severely larger then before, he stood around eight feet tall. His left hand remained covered with the combat armor he previously wore, while his right hand was grossly overstretched, his fingers elongated. His legs moved faster than he could imagine and his torso remained covered in flesh, fused to armor. His helmet still sat atop his otherwise unfamiliar body and his mouth refused to open, lips molded together.

"I am an abomination. My arms…my feet. I cannot speak for Christ's sake." said Ben, sending the message mentally to the Overmind. "A precautionary measure. The Terran race cannot communicate beyond their feeble mouths, they have not evolved into the pure flawlessness that is telepathy. I sealed your mouth so that even if you do escape, you can not communicate with them. You have an independence that made your assimilation frustrating. But now you are one, part of the collective of flesh. Do not flee, embrace.

"I will not run, but I will certainly not embrace. You have turned me into a beast that I wish not to be. I will exterminate you as the vile creature that you are" replied Ben. He tried to find the Overmind's location, searching countless minds that scurried about the planet, but the genius monster had hid itself, another precautionary measure.

"Stop trying to exclude yourself from my swarm! Why do you wish to be independent and weak when you have the opportunity to control and fight and slaughter all who oppose you. Is not that what you truly desire, the opportunity to kill. When you were in the chrysalis I exposed your aspirations and dreams and I have granted you exactly what you want." yelled the creature. Ben calmed down, and truly thought about what the Overmind had said. "I have watched you fight. I have watched your intensity and your animal instincts. I have only improved upon what you already possessed." added the Overmind. "I am aware that you are hesitant to fight for what was once your enemy, however, I know that deep inside of you, you wish to battle and you will place that sole desire overtop of everything else." it said. "The Humans have come here searching for my other specimen. I will send a cerebrate to deal with their ground forces, but, if you are willing, I want you to take to space and infiltrate one of their capitol ships." An overlord hovered over Benjamin, awaiting the Overmind's instructions. "If you wish to flee, to try and escape from the being that you are, the magnificent warrior I have made you, then run. However, if you wish to fight, if that is your true desire, then board the overlord and crush your old life" said the Overmind.

Ben waited in the creature for what seemed like an eternity, before the Overmind finally said something. "You are going to infiltrate a battle cruiser. You are going to tear it apart and eventually I want you to shut it down completely. When you have accomplished this, the swarm shall take to your position and destroy the vessel. Do not fail, for I shall exterminate you if you do. Put aside your emotions, and embrace the will of the swarm." said the Overmind. The overlord was now being stuck by missiles and gunfire. It was positioning itself over a shuttle bay occupied by several dozen marines. The overlord slowed almost to a stop and opened its tentacles to release Ben. He dropped down into the shuttle bay and immediately questioned the mission. The faces of the men he once knew, the men he once protected and fought alongside, brought back feelings that he could not suppress. He did not want to kill them, but when he looked down at his hand, his twelve inch fingers, he remembered what the Overmind had said. "_I know that deep inside of you, you wish to battle and you will place that sole desire overtop of everything else", _the words ran through his head over and over and he couldn't fight. For the first time he could remember, he couldn't fight. And then, at his weakest moment in existence, a voice came over the ship. "All personnel, we have an intruder in shuttle bay 6, kill it with extreme caution." said the all too familiar voice. And when the voice had stopped talking, Ben was resurrected as a Zerg, standing upright in the shuttle bay. He was angered in a way he had never been before. Vengeance flooded his thoughts, drowning his morals. The voice had left him on that planet, left him to die and decay. But, unfortunately for Arcturus Mengsk, Ben hadn't decayed. Ben was given another chance to live, and now, this life had a purpose.

Marines gathered around Ben, gauss rifles readied. He turned to them and they opened fire. Rounds pinged off of his armored carapace and he slowly walked towards the terrified men. They backed up, continuing to fire at the mammoth that stood before them. Ben trudged on, the bullets not affecting his stride. "Sir, this fucker won't go down!" yelled one into its radio. Ben grabbed him by the throat and held him above the ground. The other marines stopped firing, afraid to hit their comrade. Ben crushed the marine into a wall, blood and brain matter oozing overtop of his elongated hand. Ben kicked to the right, and sent two more marines into the air. The remaining three opened fire, aiming for his head. He charged at them, claws swiping at armor, shredding their flesh. He raised his hand, and punched straight through an unlucky marine. The last, injured man, ran away at full speed. Ben picked up the corpse of the feeble marine and launched him into the air. The body took the final man in the back and pinned him to the ground, dead. "Reinforcements to shuttle bay 6, shoot on sight!" said Arcturus over the ship's speaker.

Ben exited the shuttle bay and ran down a long passageway, before turning into a group of marines headed to intercept him. Two firebats stepped out from behind the squad and set fire to Ben. The flames ran off his body like drops of water. Ben punched forward and broke the visor of an unlucky firebat. Ben swung to the left and hit another, slamming him into a wall. By this time the marines had opened fire, but Ben remained undamaged. He charged through the squad, swiping and punching, kicking and throwing. Flesh and blood lined the walls, carcasses paved the floor. He was a tank. A behemoth monster on a war path of revenge. "More men to the intruder's position. Stop him now!" yelled Arcturus on the ship's radio.

_"No number of men can stop me" _thought Ben. _"And no number of men, can save you"_.


	3. Chapter 3

**101101101- Sorry for the wait. I wasn't going to continue this story after chapter 2, but it's received many positive comments, so I'll definitely keep going. I want to add another character but I cannot think of someone who would be interesting. If anyone has any ideas, please e-mail me.**

"Jesus Christ! Take it down, take it down!" yelled the Marine. His rifle rumbled and shell casings littered the ground. A medic stood at his back waiting to heal the wounds that would soon be inflicted. A firebat rushed past the two and began to douse the monster. He scorched the beast for a few seconds before it gave him its attention and grabbed the man by his head. His skull collapsed by the immense pressure from the gargantuan fist, and his tattered body fell to the floor. Corpses flew throughout the room with the creature's massive swipes. It bashed metal and crunched bone as it made its way towards the ship's bridge. "Bullets do not affect it. Repeat, bullets are having no affect on it! We need explosives, now!" yelled a marine into his radio. He was soon decapitated.

A group of goliaths entered the room through a large blast door. Their autocannons started up and began to unleash a barrage of rounds upon the Zerg monster. Although the bullets did not penetrate its flesh, the creature was pushed back several feet, unable to fight the force of the projectiles. It ducked and ran towards one of the machines. The monster grabbed the goliath's torso and ripped it in two. Cut wires and blood poured out from the broken mech. The beast kicked to the right and broke off the leg of another goliath. It grabbed the crippled machine and crushed it against a wall. A third goliath began to fire. The Zerg animal grabbed an autocannon, while it was firing, and bent the metal on the arm. The barrel of the gun was aimed directly at the goliath's face and within seconds, dozens of rounds entered the machine's visor. The man trapped inside screamed in agony and the broken goliath fell forwards, crumbling to pieces.

Benjamin Kearse walked through the corridors with near immortality. The Terrans posed no threat, and he was almost at the bridge. Ben's thoughts had been cloudy ever since he became infested, but he had one thought that was still perfectly clear. Revenge.

Ben entered a cargo bay. He was now face to face with the last hope the Terrans had to save their beloved leader. Tanks, marines, firebats, goliaths, and vultures stood in the path of vengeance. With a loud rumble, every weapon in the room was aimed at Ben. He ducked and spun to the left, hiding behind a wall. Tanks shells exploded in his wake, and hundreds of bullets pursued him. A dropship, cowering behind the entire human force, prepared to make its getaway. Ben knew that Arcturus was on it, evading the Zerg's ultimate power once again, sending his men to save his life. "Your thoughts are blocked by your emotions." said the Overmind. "Shut down the vessel. Finish your mission" it added. "He must pay for what he did!" yelled Ben. "Think, my child. If he evades you now, my swarms will intercept him. However, I need the ship disabled. The Yamato Cannon is too powerful to risk a direct assault" answered the Overmind. Ben thought about what it had said. It was right, there was no escape for Arcturus. He would die, no matter how far he ran.

Ben arose from behind the wall. Bullets pinged off of his carapace, shells flew past his face, and slowly he made his way forward. He ducked, got on all four limbs and sprinted like and animal towards the barricade of men. He leaped onto a goliath and punched a hole clear through it. He jumped off and landed on a siege tank, opening its cockpit. Ben ripped out the terrified man and used his body to block dozens of bullets, before dropping the bloody mess to the ground. He kicked another marine in the skull and ducked just as a tank shell flew overhead and destroyed a half dozen men. A quick swipe and a medic fell. Another punch landed square in a marines visor, shattering his face. Ben grabbed a goliath leg and pulled it close. He ripped off the leg and jumped on the machine's shoulders, crushing the goliath underneath the immense weight. Ben back flipped off the mech and landed on a firebat. An eruption of fire shot up beneath Ben and he let out a roar in his mind, not of pain, but of pride. A tank shell narrowly missed his face as he ran towards the mammoth machine. He kicked the cockpit open and let loose a flurry of claws and punches. Ben ran off the tank just in time to get shot in the chest by another. He flew into a pile of corpses, but recovered quickly. The tank fired again, this time a wide miss. The ship's hull was taking damage quite quickly and looked as if it was going to buckle soon. Ben grabbed the corpses of two fallen firebats and held one in each hand. He threw them towards the tank and a final shell set off the canisters of gas. The machine erupted in fire, and let off a massive explosion, a sound only rivaled by that of the tank's operator screaming as his flesh burned. Two vultures and a goliath were the only remaining enemies in the room. Ben ducked and two explosive canisters flew over his head. He grabbed the goliath by the head and kicked its torso, splitting the machine and its operator into two. The vultures shot again, but Ben's agility was no match for the sluggish machines. Ben ran towards the vultures as they charged at him. He extended his arms and took both men in the face with his massive hands. They fell off the bikes and tumbled to the ground, unarmed. Two swift punches ended their lives.

The dropship was gone, as was Mengsk. Ben did not mind, however. He would have liked to deal the fatal blow to Arcturus himself, but a painful death by the acid spores of the swarm would suffice. "Quickly my child, find and destroy the ship's power generator. I can then exterminate the rest of the Terran invaders" said the Overmind. But at that moment, the entire Terran fleet tore through space and time, far away from their enemies. Mengsk and his minions had warped through space, he had escaped once again. "The humans are wise to run. My child, disable the ship and my swarm shall infest it. I sense you are angered. Do not worry. This "Mengsk" shall meet his demise, and I can ensure you that it will be by your claws" said the Overmind. The Overmind's words calmed Ben down, but he was still somewhat enraged.

Ben rushed to the power core. He lacked the knowledge to disable it by means of electronics, so he had to improvise. He ran through many corridors before finding a scared scientist hiding in a storage cupboard. Ben grabbed the man by his collar and lifted him up to eye level. He dragged the man back to the power core, the frightened scientist kicking and screaming all the while. "Jesus…please…please don't kill me!" he said to Ben. Ben hit the core with his hand and then dragged his thumb across his throat. "Off…you want it off?" asked the scientist. Ben nodded.

The scientist quickly shut off the power core and turned back to Ben. "Okay it's shutting down now. Please, just let me live" he said. Ben turned around and the man began to run. However, he did not run far. As soon as he sprinted off he came to a halt and discovered Ben's hand through his stomach. The scientist crumbled to the ground and Ben flicked the blood off of his arm. _"No Mercy" _he thought.

Within minutes the swarm filled the space around the battlecruiser. An overlord hovered over top of Ben and its tentacles pulled him into its body. The rest of the swarm started to infest the vessel and its remaining crew.

Ben arrived on Char, waiting to see what the Overmind had next in mind. "You have done well my child. The Terrans have removed themselves from the sector and only one more enemy remains. The Protoss" said the Overmind. "They have come here, to Char, wishing to kill me. I want you to strike, secretly. They are not aware of your presence and I wish for that to remain so. You need to assassinate their leader before they kill my other child." it added. "Other child?" asked Ben. "She was born before you, but you were assimilated together. She is battling the Protoss at this very moment, with the power and grace of yourself."

"She is the Queen of Blades…"


	4. Chapter 4

**101101101- Yeah, this is most likely the last chapter. I didn't want to leave the story hanging, but it's hard to write for a semi main character without disrupting the continuity of the StarCraft timeline. I may continue, but only if I can come up with some scenario that won't mess with the StarCraft story. We'll see.**

Ben was face to face with the Executor himself. He had walked straight through the hallucinations of the great Protoss templar, avoiding the pointless distractions and constantly focused on his enemy. Tassadar readied his mind, Ben readied his claws. One of them wasn't going to walk away.

Two hours previous…

The overlord unraveled its tentacles. Ben dropped to the ground and landed in a crouched position.

"Find Tassadar and destroy him. He is their leader and their guide, without him the Protoss defenses will crumbled under our might." said the Overmind. "What is Kerrigan's position? How close is she?" asked Ben. "She is battling the Protoss far from you position. It was my hope that our forces could flank the great templar, but the remainder of the swarm is with her. You have no reinforcements, but your path should be relatively clear, as the Protoss warriors are tied up with Kerrigan. Begin your mission my child, time is of great importance" replied the Overmind. Ben wasted no time and within seconds had begun to sprint.

It was within a short while that Ben encountered the first Protoss. Two photon cannons and a squad of zealots bottle necked the entrance to a larger outpost several miles in the distance. Ben questioned whether he should try for a surprise attack or not, but the photon cannons would eliminate any element of surprise Ben had. But while he was pondering, he noticed a strange building in between the two defense cannons. The building had the appearance of a diamond, with a golden band running its circumference. It was housing no men, and did not appear to be posing a threat.

But this was when Ben discovered its purpose. A Protoss probe was attempting to construct a new building, but was having difficulty. Whenever the ball of energy formed, it dissipated, and the probe moved closer to the diamond. It did this several times, before the energy finally sustained its shape,

_"Power" _Ben said in his mind.

Ben began his assault. The photon cannons rose and immediately shot small balls of energy at Ben. The zealots readied themselves and turned on the power to their energy blades. Ben leaped and ducked, over and under the two projectiles. He landed near the probe and tore the robot into two, wires and metal exploding outwards. He began to claw the newly forming building, racing against time to disable it before it became active. Two more balls of energy shot at Ben. He ducked and the spheres hit the massive ball of forming energy. All three spheres scattered into vapor. Ben focused on the diamond structure. He ran at it full speed and unleashed a massive kick. He clawed at it furiously and finally the building shattered. The shards of crystal exploded, and the cannons descended back into their bases. By this time the zealots were closing in on Ben, forming a circle around the lone Zerg. At once they charged, and the fight had begun.

Ben kicked backward and collapsed the armor of one zealot. He punched to the right and left simultaneously, but the warriors ducked. Two zealots swung at the Zerg and he crouched. He grabbed the arm of one and broke it clean in two. Ben threw the injured alien at another zealot, and the two fell to the ground. Ben spun to the left, narrowly avoiding an energy blade. He kicked a zealot in his chest and leaped into the air. Ben did a back flip and brought his legs up. He bludgeoned a warrior with his legs, directly hitting the man in his skull, crushing it. A de-armed zealot repeatedly swung at Ben, hoping to avenge his lost limb. Ben grabbed its other arm and brought the blade into its own chest. The zealot fell to the ground and Ben picked up one its legs with both arms. He began to swing the warrior around, faster and faster until the zealot was horizontal. Ben released and the alien flew into another injured man. Ben tackled a zealot to the ground and pummeled the beast to death. Ben rolled to the side, and dodged an energy blade. He got up only to be struck in the arm by another. Ben shed blood, but did not seem to care. He kicked the zealot in his face and the dead man flew backwards several feet. Ben hit another warrior in his stomach with a swift knee, and uppercut the beast in its face. The final zealot approached Ben. "Foolish warrior aren't you? Your comrades have fallen, yet you still dare to approach me." said Ben telepathically. "The Protoss are not cowards. We fight to the death." it replied. "Very well." said Ben. The zealot swung his energy blade, but the attack was futile. Ben clutched its arm and with his other hand grabbed the man's throat, suffocating it to death, slowly. The Zerg dropped its victim and resumed his mission.

The entrance to the large base was clear and Ben began to sprint again. He wasted no time at all, but soon found himself blocked off by something even he dared not approach.

Ben had fearlessly fought whatever he came across. He had crushed goliaths, ripped apart siege tanks and slaughtered Terran, Zerg or Protoss, whatever race he happened to be fighting. But what stood before him was something that made him question his own strength.

The massive ball of white and blue towered above everything else. Its head sat atop the cloud, and its arms protruded beyond its shape. It hovered over the molten ground of Char, ready to destroy whatever it came across. It was more of a God than a creature.

Ben stepped forward, awaiting to see what the being would do next. The cloud-like figure turned slowly and stared straight at his enemy.

"Power overwhelming!" it said telepathically. Its voice contained not a trace of fear.

Ben did not reply. He only stepped forward once again. The entity approached him slowly, waiting for Ben to do the first move. Ben knew this would be his greatest battle yet, but Tassadar lay on the other side of the gargantuan, and Ben wanted to finish the mission. The archon moved forward again and raised his arms. The battle had begun.

Ben rolled to the side and a beam of energy shot in his wake. He ran at full speed, trying to run around the creature. Ben reached the other side and punched straight at the archon. His hand burned as it entered the cloud, and Ben pulled it out quickly. The archon turned around and faced the Zerg once again. Ben stood in front of the entity, desperately thinking of a way to injure the being. His hands were the only weapons he possessed, if they failed him…he had lost. The archon raised it arms and readied its beam of energy.

And it was then that Ben had a final idea.

The beam shot down and Ben leaped forward, straight into the archon. His flesh scorched and pain filled his body as he ran through the cloud. Ben stopped and saw the blue skeleton of a body deep within the archon, hiding. Ben summoned all of his strength and released a single punch. The archon's fragile body ripped in two and the cloud of energy instantly dissipated. Ben collapsed to the ground in pain, most of his carapace scorched black. "My child, do not give in to the pain. You must stand, you must finish!" said the Overmind. Ben slowly rose to his feet and a thought ran through his head. The archon had fallen to his might. If Ben could kill that, he was truly unstoppable.

"Yes, you must finish" said the voice in his head…but it wasn't the Overmind. "If you wish to kill me then I shall grant you the opportunity. The Overmind has sent you, alone, to end my life. You must be its best warrior, and for that you deserve that chance to accomplish your mission." said Tassadar.

A recall field appeared and brought ten Tassadars standing in a semi circle. Ben was not puzzled by this. The templar possessed great psionic powers, or so the Overmind had said. This was simply a mind trick, one that did not impress Ben. The group of templar attacked at once, sending bursts of psionic energy at Ben. The bursts of energy had no affect on Ben, nor should they, as they did not exist. Ben walked towards the Tassadar replicas and one by one he struck them down with his burnt elongated claws. They all vaporized when hit and Ben soon found himself standing alone once again.

"Your tricks are dull" said Ben. "You said you wanted to fight, and if you won't show yourself, I will find you" added Ben. "Very well. You seem to be smart and quite strong, yet you are still a just a Zerg." replied Tassadar. _"Just a Zerg?" _thought Ben. _"We shall see who is the weaker species. _"Another warp field opened and the true Tassadar stepped out onto the battlefield.

Ben was face to face with the Executor himself. He had walked straight through the hallucinations of the great Protoss templar, avoiding the pointless distractions and constantly focused on his enemy. Tassadar readied his mind, Ben readied his claws. One of them wasn't going to walk away.

In the distance Ben saw an army of zealots and dragoons charging forward. Suddenly they stopped dead in their tracks. "This will be a fair fight, no interruptions." said Tassadar.

Ben charged forward at the templar. Tassadar shot a ball of energy that narrowly missed the beast. Ben leaped into the air and landed feet away from the warrior. Ben punched forward, but was shot back by psionic energy before the punch could land. Ben was thrown into the air and crashed onto the dirt. He rolled backwards and was once again on his feet. Another ball of energy flew past Ben's face. Ben sprinted towards the templar at extreme speeds. Ben ducked under a sphere of energy and punched Tassadar directly in his face. The templar lost his balance but shot another projectile of energy at the Zerg. Both men were thrown down, but Ben regained himself faster. He raised his fist and brought it down on the templar's chest. Tassadar charged up all of his psionic power and blasted Ben's scorched arm clean off his body. Ben screamed telepathically and stepped back. Tassadar stood up and shot Ben again. The Zerg tried to attack, but could not summon the strength. Again and again Ben was hit with energy before he finally collapsed on the ground. Tassadar stood over the charred Zerg. He was once a mighty warrior but now he was reduced to a smoldering pile of barely breathing flesh.

"You thought you could win, but you were unaware of my power." said Tassadar. Tassadar's mind charged with power and released a massive projectile of energy. And in Ben's final seconds of life he thought about his existence. A Terran, a Zerg, it didn't matter in the least. Ben was a warrior above all. He was a creature of unfathomable power that led a life of nobility. He was proud to die here on the battlefield.

"You have failed." said the Overmind.

"No…" replied Ben.

"…I passed."


End file.
